+ Mel Blanc (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros. during the "Golden Age of American animation" (and later for Hanna-Barbera television productions) as the voice of such well-known characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Woody Woodpecker, Barney Rubble, Mr. Spacely, Speed Buggy, Captain Caveman, Heathcliff, Speedy Gonzales, and hundreds of others. Having earned the nickname “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” Blanc is regarded as one of the most influential people in the voice-acting industry. At the time of his death, it was estimated that 20 million people heard his voice every day. Blanc began his radio career in 1927 as a voice actor on the KGW program The Hoot Owls, where his ability to provide voices for multiple characters first attracted attention. He moved to KEX in 1933 to produce and host his Cobweb And Nuts show, which debuted on June 15. The program played Monday through Saturday from 11:00 pm to midnight, and by the time the show ended two years later, it appeared from 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm. Blanc moved to Warner Bros.-owned KFWB in Hollywood, California, in 1935. He joined The Johnny Murray Show, but the following year switched to CBS Radio and The Joe Penner Show. Blanc was a regular on the NBC Red Network show The Jack Benny Program in various roles, including voicing Benny's Maxwell automobile (in desperate need of a tune-up), violin teacher Professor LeBlanc, Polly the Parrot, Benny's pet polar bear Carmichael, the tormented department store clerk, and the train announcer (see below). One of Blanc's most memorable characters from Benny's radio (and later TV) programs was "Sy, the Little Mexican", who spoke one word at a time. The famous "Sí...Sy...sew...Sue" routine was so effective that no matter how many times it was performed, the laughter was always there, thanks to the comedic timing of Blanc and Benny. At times, sharp-eyed audience members (and later, TV viewers) could see Benny struggling to keep a straight face; Blanc's absolute dead-pan delivery was a formidable challenge for him. Benny's daughter, Joan, recalls that Mel Blanc was one of her father's closest friends in real life, because "nobody else on the show could make him laugh the way Mel could." Another famous Blanc shtick on Jack's show was the train depot announcer who inevitably intoned, sidelong, "Train leaving on Track Five for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga". Part of the joke was the Angeleno studio audience's awareness that no such train existed connecting those then-small towns (years before Disneyland opened). To the wider audience, the primary joke was the pregnant pause that evolved over time between "Cuc.." and "...amonga"; eventually, minutes would pass while the skit went on as the audience awaited the inevitable conclusion of the word. (At least once, a completely different skit followed before the inevitable “...amonga” finally appeared.) Benny's writers would regularly try to "stump" Blanc by asking him to perform supposedly impossible vocal effects and characterizations, such as an "English horse whinny" and a goldfish. For the latter, Mel walked up to the microphone and pursed his lips several times, making no noise. Blanc's success on The Jack Benny Program led to his own radio show on the CBS Radio Network, The Mel Blanc Show, which ran from September 3, 1946, to June 24, 1947. Blanc played himself as the hapless owner of a fix-it shop, as well as his young cousin Zookie (who sounded quite a bit like Porky Pig). Many episodes required Mel to impersonate an exotic foreigner or other stranger in town, ostensibly for carrying out a minor deception on his girlfriend's father, but of course simply as a vehicle for him to show off his talents.-WikiPedia Click here to read more about Mel Blanc Show
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Please enjoy these 41 old time radio episodes:
Air Date | Title | Synopsis | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
10.15.1946 | the mel blanc show (07) postman's ball |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. Mel tries to take Betty ... | |
09.10.1946 | the mel blanc show (02) efficiency expert |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. An efficiency expert put... | |
02.04.1947 | the man to marry betty |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Mel and Betty have been engaged for four years.... | |
02.11.1947 | the fix it shop is sold |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. The bank is going to foreclose on Mel's Fix-It ... | |
10.08.1946 | the fishing rod |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Mel's trying to fix a fishing pole and a motor ... | |
09.24.1946 | mr colbys water heater |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpowder, Halo Shampoo. Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving with a turkey. M... | |
11.19.1946 | mr colby wants to sell the store |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpowder, Halo Shampoo. Betty's father is planning to sell the supermark... | |
09.17.1946 | mels putty cake |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. Mel bakes a cake which i... | |
04.22.1947 | mel the literary expert |
+ Mel Blanc was always a busy guy. Amongst his many credits include appearances on Abbot & Costello,... | |
11.12.1946 | mel the babysitter |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpowder, Halo Shampoo. A fraternal initiation takes place while Mel min... | |
03.11.1947 | mel sells colbys valuable painting |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpowder, Halo Shampoo. Mel doesn't have the money to pay his income tax... | |
10.01.1946 | mel and the muscle meter |
+ Mel Blanc was always a busy guy. Amongst his many credits include appearances on Abbot & Costello,... | |
04.15.1947 | crashing mr colbys party |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. There's going to be a swell Society party tonig... | |
10.29.1946 | community chest fund drive |
+ Mel Blanc was always a busy guy. Amongst his many credits include appearances on Abbot & Costello,... | |
09.03.1946 | birthday card promotion |
+ Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. The first show of the se... | |
10.22.1946 | betty rhodes visits the shop |
+ Mel Blanc was always a busy guy. Amongst his many credits include appearances on Abbot & Costello,... |
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